The Milwaukee Bucks are heading into training camp with something they haven’t had in years: a roster-wide free-for-all.
Under first-year coach Taylor Jenkins, Milwaukee opens the 2026-27 NBA season without a locked-in starting five or even a clearly defined top group of eight. That’s not just a byproduct of the overhaul.
It’s the whole point. The Bucks are treating camp like an open lab, and nearly every spot is up for grabs.
The biggest shakeup came when Milwaukee sent Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and a haul of draft picks. Then the Bucks added more fresh faces by taking Brayden Burries from Arizona with the No. 10 pick and Nate Ament from Tennessee with the No. 13 pick. The result is a team loaded with overlapping skills and not much in the way of a clear hierarchy.
At the top of the list of unresolved questions is the guard rotation. Herro brings the kind of scoring punch that changes the shape of an offense, but he’s not a traditional point guard, per se. That leaves Jenkins with a real decision about how the offense will actually function and who will be responsible for getting it started.
Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. are expected to split point guard responsibilities, though they bring very different things to the table. Rollins offers speed and distribution.
Porter brings physical scoring. That contrast gives Milwaukee options, but it also makes the pecking order harder to pin down.
There’s plenty of depth on the perimeter too. Gary Trent Jr., who was re-signed, and AJ Green give the Bucks shooting, while veteran Caris LeVert adds another experienced option. Figuring out who starts and who comes off the bench may come down to which combinations work best once the games begin.
The wing and frontcourt spots are just as unsettled. Kyle Kuzma is back in the mix and gives Milwaukee a proven scorer who can stretch the floor and help on the glass.
But Jaquez and Ousmane Dieng make the picture more complicated. Jaquez brings playmaking toughness, while Dieng offers defensive length.
Together, they give Jenkins room to test both bigger lineups and smaller, more switchable groups.
At center, Myles Turner anchors the position with rim protection and stretch-five ability. Behind him, Kel'el Ware and Jericho Sims bring athleticism and different bench looks, which keeps that rotation open as well.
The rookie situation adds another layer. Burries, Ament, and Jakucionis are all candidates for extended developmental minutes, but none of them have to be rushed into major roles right away. The challenge for Jenkins is simple enough to say and tough to execute: he can’t develop everybody at once.
Even with all the uncertainty, the Bucks are leaning into it. The organization sees the flexibility as an advantage, especially with an 82-game schedule ahead. Multi-positional lineups that can shift based on matchups are part of the plan.
So when preseason gets rolling, the group that starts on opening night may not be the same one closing games later in the season. For Milwaukee, the 2026-27 campaign begins with competition everywhere, and the priority is clear: stay competitive while figuring out which young pieces belong in the long-term picture.
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